2022-08-05 - Encounter with a Lone Wolf!

Title: Encounter with a Lone Wolf!
Summary: Kyouka, a newcomer to Japan and attending a real school for the first time in her life, has her destiny unexpectedly altered when she answers a cry for help from the Intelligent Device, Strike Wolf.
Who: Kyouka Okazaki
Where: Somewhere downtown
OOC - IC Date: 2022-08-05 - 2016-02-21

Kyouka was lost.

Well, lost wasn't the right word for it. She knew exactly where she was because she could read the street signs overhead.

She just had no idea how she'd gotten there.

Her mother had asked her to pick up an order from the store on her way home from school. It was a simple enough request, only… She wasn’t anywhere near the store at the moment.

She'd been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn't noticed where she'd been going. Did she even get off at the right bus stop? Kyouka frowned as she looked back at the direction she had come from. There was… something she had been thinking about. Something urgent. … wasn't there?

No, she had to get to the store for her mom, but she had plenty of time for that. With all of the new changes, everything felt urgent recently, that's all. So much that needed to be handled all at once. That must've been it. She was just tired from handling the move, enrolling in her first school, and settling in.

"I should try to get to bed early tonight. The sleep'll probably do me some good," she remarked to nobody in particular.

She fished out her phone and loaded up the map program, and waited for it to catch up to her current location. She hummed a bit to herself as she waited the almost two minutes for her location to appear on screen. "And this is why paper maps are handy," she opined to herself, muttering in English. "They don't need batteries or software updates, or line of sight to a satellite."

Kyouka punched in the store address and waited again for it to calculate a route. “Maybe the other kids were right about my phone being old. Hate to throw out something that still works, though…” When she had started exchanging phone numbers in class, some of her classmates had expressed surprise it was even functioning.

She signed in defeat. "I guess the newer phones do have better cameras, huh? That'll come in handy if I find any nice hiking trails or camping spots, I suppose…"

Kyouka squinted at the screen as it displayed both her current position and the store. "Wow, I was way off. What the heck am I doing all the way over here? I really need to get my head in the right place." She resumed walking, following the phone's navigation advice now. It indicated she should turn left at the next intersection

but she decided to cross the street and head down another block for no particular reason.

A scream cut through Kyouka's thoughts and she froze. It was close.

But it didn't concern her. There were plenty of people around who could help.

She looked down at her phone screen again.

<… Help…>

Kyouka's head snapped up. Something sparked inside her. A strange kind of recognition. Was that why she had come this way?

No, that was absurd. She was just tired and imagining things.

Still… she turned her head down the street, just to make sure.

A figure garbed in all black and wearing a cape stood in the middle of the street, ranting madly. Several cars sat abandoned around him on the street, car doors flung open and engines idling. She could also see people running away, fleeing, and distantly noted in the back of her mind that some people about to turn down this street had abruptly changed course.

Something was sliding around the edges of her thoughts. Some impossibility that was just within reach that she was trying to simultaneously acknowledge and disregard.

Whatever this was, it wasn't her problem. Someone would surely call the police, and they'd be much better equipped to handle this. She needed to get to the store to pick up her mom's order. To get back home so she could help her mom cook dinner. So she could start her homework. So she could play with Wolfy. A million and one reasons flooded her mind, pushed her to not think about it, to just walk away from whatever scene was unfolding before her.

Then the strange figure turned and flung out his arm–anger or frustration? Kyouka's mind was trying to parse it even as it was telling her to turn away–and unleashed a huge gout of flame that surged through the air. Instinct kicked in, and Kyouka's eyes leapt ahead to the point of impact–the upper story of a shop wall. They traveled down from the impact to the ground below--

Adrenaline, fear, and anger surged through her veins. They cut through the fog of indecision as her feet began to move. Not away, but towards. Only one thought filled her mind now as her feet thudded at the pavement, as her muscles strained for every last ounce of speed and strength she could muster to her singular, righteous, cause.

Save Himiko.

Her classmate was frozen in fear–several others on the sidewalk were too–but they weren't underneath the impact point.

The fireball crashed into the building overhead. She only acknowledged the terrifyingly loud boom, as the wave of pressure and heat rippled out from the point of impact to wash over her. She didn't look, her eyes locked on her target. The high-pitched sound of the wall crackling, slowly crumbling apart caused her to draw from reserves she didn't even know she had, straining her body to the limit for any ounce of speed she could muster.

Kyouka slammed her body into Himeko's, wrapping her arms around the other girl and pushed, sending them both flying a few feet down the sidewalk to land in a tangled heap. Debris crashed heavily behind them. It sprayed dust and splinters onto them, but Kyouka kept her head down to shield her face.

Himeko stared up at her in shock, mouth working silently before finally asking. "O-okazaki?! What are–" She looked to the spot where she'd been standing only seconds before. Her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh my god, you… you saved my life!"

Kyouka just nodded grimly as she lifted herself off of her classmate, standing up and offering her a hand. "Yeah. I'm just glad I made it in time. Are you okay?"

The other girl took the hand up, standing again and dusting herself off. "Y-yeah, I think so. Um, thanks, if you hadn't…" Himeko seemingly couldn't bring herself to look Kyouka in the eye. "But I've been awful to you…"

Kyouka placed a reassuring hand on Himeko's shoulder. "We can talk about it later, okay?" she said gently. She pointed up the street. "Those people look like they're in shock like you were. Can you go get them to move?"

Himeko's gaze followed to where Kyouka was pointing, and she nodded. "Okay. But what are you going to do?"

Kyouka shook her head. "I don't know, but I'll think of something. Please, just hurry, before someone gets hurt."

They regarded each other for a moment, and then himeko slowly nodded. "Okay. Just… be careful." Then she turned and took off down the street.

Her classmate's safety assured–or at least, more assured than before–Kyouka turned her attention to the rest of the scene before her. That strange sensation tried to push at the edges of her mind again, but found no purchase. It couldn't, not anymore.

There was something deep inside of her that she had always considered a fire, of sorts. Normally it was just carefully-stoked embers, a simmering potential within herself of what might be. There had been times when it sprouted into a proper fire at perceiving some injustice or harm.

But now she was angry. Furious. No mere embers or small, carefully-tended fire–it was a bright, raging bonfire burning in her heart now, full of roiling, crackling fire, with licks of flame lashing out wildly and uncontrollably in every direction. It coursed through her body–

It was the fire in her limbs and lungs, both that prickly, burning pain that came from exertion but also the gentle, healing warmth that was soothing them even then. They were aching, but they would see her through.

It drove the engine that was her heart, beating loud and strong, ready to power her body into motion at a moment's notice.

But most importantly it was the blazing beacon in her mind burning away that seductive fog that tried to find purchase at the edges of her thoughts. The one that spoke in a honeyed voice with siren calls of leave, go home, and this doesn't concern you. The beacon burned them all away, clearing her mind for the first time and allowing her to really see what was going on around her.

The street was a mess. There were abandoned cars strewn about, but not all of them were running–one had the hood smashed in, like a boulder had been dropped on it. Another had a crumpled front end. Pockmarks littered the street in some places, with patches of bubbling asphalt in others.

And the strange man was floating. There was no question about that now. Previously it had seemed like a trick of the light, or some kind of perspective issue or optical illusion, but there was no denying it now. His feet and cape were dangling in the air. There was no crane, no apparatus, no transparent platform beneath him to stand on. In his right hand he wielded a long staff of some kind, but in his left was a purple gem.

Kyouka gasped, eyes widening as she laid eyes on the gem. Everything else seemed to fade away for a moment–not in the way those lies tried to mask the truth of the world from her, but something that was somehow even realer than real. She heard that voice call again, the plantitive plea echoing in her mind. With the fog gone, now she could recognize it for what it was–a transmission, directed only to those capable of perceiving it, impossibly dense and filled with status codes, error messages, and coordinates. So much information to process yet she somehow could, because she knew the message could have been transmitted in just one word:

<Help.>

That fire burned hotter and brighter.

She snapped to the present, eyes narrowing as she set her focus on the strange man. He was alternating between arguing, ordering, and threatening the gem, suspended in mid-air and seemingly paying no mind to anything else in the surroundings.

Kyouka's fists tightened, fingertips digging painfully into her palms. He had almost killed Himiko and who knows whomever else, and what was worse, it hadn't been some deliberate, malevolent act–he had been lashing out. He didn't care if people got hurt here, he was so self-absorbed that the consequences of his actions didn't seem to concern him in the least.

And he was threatening that gem. She didn't understand how it could ask for help, but it had, and she could not ignore that plea.

She shrugged off her backpack, stashing it in behind a pile of rubble and then turned to face the man again. "Hey! Jackass! You gonna clean up this mess you've made?"

The figure stopped, looking bewildered as he looked past her several times, as if she were somehow beneath his notice before returning his gaze to her. "Can I help you, little girl?" he sneered.

A growl rose up in her throat as she took a single, half step forward, pointing an accusatory finger at the man. "You almost killed someone with that little fireball trick of yours. And I know that gem doesn't belong to you. You need to return it to its rightful owner."

Kyouka's step forward made the man flinch backwards, but after a moment he regained his composure and sneered again. "This is no mere bauble, little girl, but I'm not afraid of you. If you had the power to make me do anything, you'd be dousing yourself with a bucket of sparkles and rainbows right about now. So I really don't think I have to worry about anything you have to say." He raised his staff and a swirling mass of flames quickly gathered. "Goodbye." The flames erupted and surged at Kyouka.

Kyouka was already diving out of the way as the flames were gathering. She tucked into a roll, drawing her feet in as the fireball passed by. It missed her, but the wave of sharp heat spurred her to keep moving. She sprung up out of the roll and charged around in a wide ark, keeping low and sprinting from car to car to give herself cover.

The man seemed confused, looking around wildly for her when the fireball missed its target. Kyouka seized on his distraction and snatched up a garbage can lid. She held it tight, imagining pouring her fury and flame into it as she wound up, muscles tensed and straining as they waited for release. "Hey, Jackass!" She hurled the lid with all of her might at the mans head, and the instant her fingers left the disc she righted forward, trailing in its wake. The stranger had just enough time to register its approach before it smashed him in the face with a loud clang.

The mage flinched backwards, clutching at his face. "Wh– You– How dare– I'll make you–" A glittering purple shape fell to the ground.

Kyouka smirked. Just as she'd hoped. She vaulted over the hood of a car as the trash can lid was rattling on the ground. She touched down, then slid underneath the still hovering man, snatching up the gem in the process.

The gem's surface was smooth and cool to the touch, but there was an inner warmth buried deep within. For a brief, singular moment she felt a sense of… of connectedness, but it broke when she shoved the gem into her jacket pocket.

She hopped to her feet, then spun around and grabbed the man's cape. She yanked down with the same might and fury she had used to fling the lid. "Kyah!" The man flailed at the unexpected change in direction and wasn't prepared to arrest his descent. Kyouka quickly wrapped the cloak around his head, securing it with several of the tightest knots she knew. She tucked them inside the wrap of fabric to make them harder to get to, then circled around the wrong of the man.

The stranger flailed helplessly, dropping his staff to clutch at his head with both hands. Kyouka kicked it under a car and then took off. She needed a moment to think. The stranger didn't seem to think too much of her, so he'd probably keep looking for her on the ground and not up above. She darted into an alley way and spotted what she was looking for–a fire escape. Kyouka drove herself at the wall, jumping up, letting her foot impact the brick wall, tense up, dig in, and then pushed, letting her momentum carry her upwards to where she could grasp the bottom of the fire escape. She hauled herself up while walking against the wall, then pulled herself up and over the railing. The ladder would've been easier, but might've also given herself away if he'd spotted it.

She huddled down behind a large air conditioning unit and drew in a slow breath to steady her nerves. Out of all the reckless things she'd ever done, that definitely topped the list. But the gem had called out to her, and she hadn't been able to deny its plea.

Kyouka blinked. With the fog lifted from her mind for the moment, she could remember…

"I stepped off the bus, and then I heard… a voice." She pulled the gem from her pocket. It was cool and warm still, and she felt that sense of connection spring to life again. "That was you, wasn't it?"

A light pulsed deep inside the gem in time with its words. <Affirmative.>

She looked the gem over. It had five sides, and it was slightly elongated. Its shape was vaguely reminiscent of something, but she couldn't quite place it.

Kyouka clutched it to her chest. "I almost didn't make it," she admitted quietly. "But I'm here now."

She looked down at the street. The cloaked man was still struggling, but the rest of the street… the air felt oppressive and dark. It wasn't just the sight of wrecked cars and rubble lining the streets, it was the lack of people.

On the two intersecting streets life seemed to continue as normal. From here she could see even more clearly now how everybody seemed to just uncannily avoid the block. People about to turn down the street suddenly veered away–some even crossed the street just to avoid the crosswalks closest to the battlezone. Cars that hadn't signaled to turn were turning nonetheless, but in such an ordinary fashion that one might not have even known there was a street to avoid.

She shivered and clutched tighter at that flame burning in her chest.

"We need a plan. I don't think the police are coming–I should've heard sirens already and I don't think they can handle this." She looked down at the gem. "If I take you and run… I know his type. Either he won't stop looking for you until he gets you, which would put more people in harm's way, or he'll take his ball and go home, which…" She shuddered softly. "I don't want to see his version of that."

"I can't go back and keep egging him on, because one wrong move and I'm toast. The only way is to defeat him and capture him, or make capturing you more trouble than it's worth. So… can you call for more help? I think I'm at the limits of what I can do by myself."

<Negative.>

Kyouka signed. "Do you have any other ideas? At this point I'm willing to entertain anything."

The device was silent for a moment. Then it emitted a pleasant chime and announced, <Analysis complete. User parameters acceptable.>

Kyouka blinked. "Is that… good? Wait, am I the user? Were you analyzing me?"

<Affirmative. Current user has a high probability of successful synchronization. Do you wish to proceed?>

She tried to process what the gem was saying. "Is this synchronization going to help keep you and all those people safe?"

<Affirmative.>

There was no hesitation as relief flooded through her, lifting her spirits. "Yes! Synchronize! Commence synchronization! Whatever it takes!"

Clarity and understanding flooded her mind–more information, but not of error codes and error messages. This time it was a set of instructions. The procedure was oh so complex, but the gem would handle most of it. Her part was relatively simple.

"Okay, I understand." She clambered up to her feet, and stood tall, planting her feet firmly. Kyouka drew in a deep, calming breath. She could feel her heart pounding heavily in her chest but she forced it to be calm. The blazing bonfire in her chest grew quiet and calm, but no less intense–still powerful, but now waiting once again. She drew in one more breath, and then let it go, trying to release all of her tension with it. "Here goes nothing," she said softly.

Kyouka closed her eyes, and held the gem close to her chest. She opened herself to the gem completely, both heart and mind. Something new was probing at her thoughts now. This one was curious and inquisitive, but also lonely and desperate. A quiet, plantitive plea for help. She reached out to it with her own thoughts, and offered a simple message:

I'm here.

The two beings connected, and information started to flow between them. From the gem to her, certainly, but also from her to the gem. She let it in, and offered herself freely in return. Words soon came to her, words she had never known before, but that also felt like they'd been a part of her all her life.

"I am the one swearing an oath. Under the contract, release those powers un to me."

Something shifted inside the gem. It grew warmer in her hands, shining brighter than before. Processes started and data began to load. All felt right, so she kept going.

"Eyes to pierce the night, winds to move my feet…"

Even more information began to flow-formulas and equations of a hopelessly complex degree. She didn't understand them, but she didn't need to. She let them in, let them flow back out, felt them as they shived and changed, realigning in some ephemeral and indefineable way as it matched itself to her thoughts and feelings.

That fire in her chest was starting to churn again, but this time, the gem answered in kind. The data and equations flowing through them weaved and twisted around it, forming channels and conduits, reservoirs and reserves, forming a machinery in herself that was so complex she could not hope to manage it all. But she wouldn't have to.

"… and an unyielding flame to strike at the dark!"

The flame inside of her erupted, but no longer was it a wild and uncontrolled thing. It surged through the new pathways inside of her–twisting, turning, condensing and refining. It was no longer just the raw and undirected potential inside of her. Now it had a direction, a purpose. The new name came to her without having to seek it: mana, that could transform limitless possibilities of thought into action.

She lifted the gem aloft, feeling all of the raw, untamed potential manifesting in the gem, almost ready to burst out.

No, not a gem. She knew his name now. As surely as she knew her own, the name would be a part of her–a partner, a companion who knew her every desire and shared one singular, indelible desire. She called out to him.

"Answer to my cry! Strike Wolf, set up!"

Strike Wolf let out a chime of acknowledgement and responded, <Stand by ready, set up.>

Mana erupted from the gem, a shining bright purple light piercing through the gloom of the abandoned street.

Strike Wolf stated. <Please specify barrier jacket.> Before she could even ask the question, information flooded her mind. Just as quickly the answer formed in her mind, and she pushed those thoughts to Strike Wolf in kind. Without any more input required, he initiated the transformation.

The world fades around her, and a sea of surging and crackling purple energy take its place. She does a backflip as her civilian clothes fly off, landing in a three-point stance with her right arm outstretched, looking directly ahead.

As she stands, strands of black fabric wrap around her body. It shimmrs as it breaks apart to reveal a black crop top and black shorts, both detailed with light purple designs. She reaches up as if to grab at a pair of invisible lapels, snapping them exactly as a flash of purple light materializes a sleeveless vest. Kyouka then turns, as black designs trace over the vest's back.

When they finish she pivots, striking at the air with a low sweep, as if to trip an invisible cameraman, before continuing the motion into a spinning back kick aimed directly at the camera itself. A series of interlocking, light purple metal plates fly in to surround her foot. One by one they attach themselves into place, making a loud ka-chunk sound each time two pieces make contact. The finished boot is sturdy but segmented, suggesting complete flexibility in motion as the plates slide and move around each other. Across the toe cap, four slightly raised ridges form the barest semblance of a wolf's claws.

The camera pans down her leg--more black strips of fabric quickly forming a knee pad with a shimmer of light as it passes--revealing Kyouka is effortlessly holding this pose with her leg outstretched. She bends her upright leg and springs up, spinning almost horizontally and bringing that leg up and over her body in a wide arc before slammit it down in a hard axe kick in front of her body, revealing that it too is now armored.

From there she springs lightly backwards, assuming a boxing stance. She takes a few jabs at an imaginary speed back before swinging in with a powerful hook. Time slows as the hook passes for more strands of black fabric to form a black fingerless glove and an elbow pad in quick succession, then speeds up as she continues the motion. She keeps turning, pivoting on her forward foot to bring an elbow strike from around her back with another step forward, revealing a matching set of glove and elbow pad. Over her elbow, Kyouka smirks at the camera right as a lens flare obscures her from view.

It is here that Strike Wolf makes his reappearance, sparkling with an inner light as it descends from the sky down over the back of Kyouka's upstretched right hand. More interlocking metal plates fly in, quickly attaching together in a series of mechanical connections to form a gauntlet. The segmentation is even finer than before, carefully arranged to ensure maximum protection while not compromising on manual dexterity. Strike Wolf fills with a bright light and flips upside down. It attaches itself to the back of the metal gauntlet while simultaneously releasing the built-up energy in a purple shockwave, and in response, Kyouka clenches her now-gauntled hand into a fist.

The camera pans down, circling around to in front of the magical girl to look her in the eye. The smirk from before is replaced by a deadly serious and steady gaze. A purple light appears on her forehead before splitting horizontally. Each light traces out half of a visor that travels straight across her forehead sweeping back on either side of her head to a point, and then sweeping back forwards to end at her cheeks, leaving the bottom unenclosed. The field of the visor fills with a white light that then bursts to reveal amber-colored glass shielding her eyes.

The camera pulls far back as Kyouka runs forward in her completed gear, diving forward into a handstand and then up into the air in a fast-spinning sumersault. This time she lands on all fours, but quickly rises up into a battle ready stance as the transformation finishes.''

Warmth enveloped her, and in the blink of an eye her clothes vanished, and layers of carefully crafted mana wrapped tightly around her, providing enhancements to strength, defense, speed, agility, and everything she could think of. To everything that she had thought of, in that moment, when Strike Wolf asked her what she would need to carry out their shared purpose.

The whole process had taken only an instant, but she had felt every step of the process–every calculation that Strike Wolf had made, every bend and twist and turn of mana formation, how their shared thoughts had guided the formation of her armor.

And she could feel, even now, Strike Wolf's presence on her right hand, as comfortably as if it had always been there.

She opened her eyes. She was sure that huge release of mana would attract some attention, and indeed the mage was staring at her from the ground, mouth agog at the sight. "You… you insufferable little brat! How could a nobody like you have possibly unlocked the secrets of that weapon?!"

Kyouka held up her fight gauntlet, bringing her foot up to rest on the edge of the root as she looked down at her foe. "I didn't have to do anything. He offered his power to me willingly, because I'm not an entitled asshole. Second, he's made it very clear he doesn't want to leave with you. So my advice would be to take the loss and scram. This is the one chance I'm giving you to resolve this peacefully."

"Why, you…." The mage held his staff aloft, and a whole spread of fireballs formed now, swirling with malicious black energy. "I'll teach you to make a fool out of me! Fire!" With a wave of his wand, all of the fireballs launched at once, careening directly at her.

There was no way she would have been able to avoid them all before.

But now…

<Homing program locked,> announced Strike Wolf.

""Understood!"

Kyouka pitched off the edge of the building, waiting until she was almost upside down before kicking off the underside of the roof. Enhanced strength amplified the effort, her barrier jacket accommodating the move and the reinforcement it required, and her link with Strike Wolf let her process how rapidly the ground rushed at her. Reinforcements flowed to her legs even before she could form the thought as she flipped, landed in a crouch, rocked forward, and kicked off the ground in the blink of an eye.

Overhead, one fireball swerved too late to avoid crashing into the roof, but there were still several left now making the turn to pursue her.

She rocketed forward, closing the gap between her and the enemy mage in the blink of an eye. He barely had a moment to react before she slammed her fist into his gut. The mage's eyes bulged, but Kyoka was already circling behind him, Strength flowed to her legs once more as she slammed a kick into man's back, sending him flying upwards into two more fireballs, which exploded harmlessly in the sky.

Well, harmless for her, at least.

<One projectile remains.>

"Thanks, buddy. I got it." She skipped and hopped backwards at fantastical speeds, drawing the fireball along to chase her. An open dumpster laid on its side, contents spilled out onto the ground. Strike Wolf was already adjusting to her needs, and she hauled the thing up, carefully managing the weight and bulk before slamming it backwards down on top of the last fireball. The walls bulged outward as the projectile exploded, but it held.

<All projectiles clear.>

Kyouka hopped over the dumpster to locate the mage.

He was hovering high up in the air, with a crackling, swirling vortex of fire gathering over his head. "That weapon will be mine!"

"That looks bad. Is that bad?"

<Affirmative.>

Kyouka quickly scanned the area. She didn't need to ask about flight–she already knew the answer to that, but if she just took a different angle… She dropped into a quick crouch and launched herself forward, skimming over the surface of the street before leaping up at the building. A glowing circle of runes was already there, and she crashed into it. Though Strike Wolf she could feel andunderstand all of the complex interplays of motion and physical force as the disk flexed and then sent her rebounding upwards. She arced into a sky, careening at the mage from behind. A flip and a twist lined her up to drive her knee into his back. At the same time she grabbed both hands and pulled.

"Yaaaarrrgghh!" The mage dropped his staff, letting it clatter uselessly to the ground. Blessedly, the angry swirl of energy dissipated harmlessly above them.

"I may not have sparkles and rainbows, but I'm betting you're willing to listen to me now, aren't you?"

"I will pry–"

Kyouka just pulled and the mage quickly shut up. She eased off.

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you."

After a long pause, there was a defeated, wearing, "... I'll listen."

Kyouka smiled. "Good! So, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to let you go. You're going to take yourself and get the hell out of here. And if I ever catch you in this neighborhood again, I won't go easy on you. Got it?"

"Yes…"

"Good." Kyouka released the mage and let herself drop to the ground. Her jacket absorbed the impact of landing and she watched as the mage grabbed his staff and slunk off, metaphorical tail between his legs.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." Then she looked around. The street was wrecked. Even if nobody had been hurt, as far as she could tell–even if nobody noticed–that was still several sets of livelihoods destroyed, cars wrecked, and a thousand other intangible threads of life that could no longer go on.

It made her very sad, but also stirred the righteous fury in her heart. "Who does that guy thing he is, just… wrecking peoples' lives like it doesn't even matter? What if these people can't afford to rebuild? Store owners, workers, the people who do their business here… what a waste."

Strike Wolf emitted a chime. <Restoration is possible. Significant mana expenditure required.>

Kyouka nodded and held out her hand. She could already see the plan in her mind, and she knew what Strike Wolf needed to carry it out. A rune circle sprang to life underneath her feet, and another one formed in front of her hand. Strike Wolf began to process the necessary calculations and finally released a chime.

<"Ready.>

"Do it!"

She pushed that inner fire inside of her into the spell matrix, letting Strike Wolf handle all of the shaping and formation. She poured more and more mana into the spell but didn't dare stop. She could sense how much she needed, and it would be worth it. The circle at her feet expanded outwards, then expanded again and again until it encompassed the entire city block. Finally, it started to lift into the air, and as it did changes happened with it. Rubble lifted to be set back into place and sealed, the roadway was fixed, car hoods undented and car fronts uncrumpled. She kept pouring more and more into the spell, reversing every little change Strike Woff was able to identify until finally he signaled that the process was complete.

Kyouka gasped and released the flame all at once, dropping to her knees. Her barrier jacket disintegrated with it, and her normal clothes reappeared in its place. She drew in large, gaping breaths, panting heavily at the kind of exertion she had never known she could make before today. She closed her eyes and reached inwards. There was still an ember there–she hadn't expended all of her energy. It just needed time to recharge. And despite the dimness of that flame within her, she couldn't feel the fog of the world closing in on her anymore.

She needed time to recharge. The entire process had taken far more of a physical toll on her than she had anticipated, Every ounce of energy had drained from her muscles, leaving them heavy as lead., It took her a few minutes before she could even struggle to her feet again.

She looked around at the street, now mostly in its proper condition. The cars still sat, doors open, but they weren't damaged anymore. The shops were usable, and Strike Wolf had even righted the garbage cans and put the trash back. The oppressive air was gone now. It was still missing the people, but hopefully they would return in time.

"Wow," she said when she could draw enough breath to get the words out. "Good work, buddy."

<Thank you,> replied the device. It was in its standby state, in a much smaller form, attached to a leather bracelet around her wrist.

Kyouka held up her wrist to look it over. "You've got good taste…" She forced her legs to carry her over to her backpack. "Okay, that took way too long. I still need to get to the store but you and I need to have a talk later, okay?"

<Affirmative.>